Reduce to lowest terms: $ \dfrac{3}{2} \div \dfrac{1}{8} = {?}$
Explanation: Dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by the reciprocal of the fraction. The reciprocal of $ \dfrac{1}{8}$ is $ \dfrac{8}{1}$ Therefore: $ \dfrac{3}{2} \div \dfrac{1}{8} = \dfrac{3}{2} \times \dfrac{8}{1} $ $ \phantom{ \dfrac{3}{2} \times \dfrac{8}{1}} = \dfrac{3 \times 8}{2 \times 1} $ $ \phantom{ \dfrac{3}{2} \times \dfrac{8}{1}} = \dfrac{24}{2} $ The numerator and denominator have a common divisor of $2$, so we can simplify: $ \dfrac{24}{2} = \dfrac{24 \div 2}{2 \div 2} = 12 $